Getting to Know You
by gleeaholic05
Summary: Quinn moves to the big city thinking she is ready for anything.  Our favorite diva proves otherwise.
1. Surprise, Surprise

Quinn steeled herself before walking into the apartment building. For some reason, her senses were in overdrive as if every part of every being knew how big this next step was. She could practically _feel_ the world around her moving at top speed. New York City was everything and nothing like she thought it would be. The energy that she always heard about was unreal.

_Long way from Lima,_ she thought.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She looked at the intercom to her right and pushed the one that said Landlord.

"_Yes?"_ a voice rang through.

"Hi. I'm Quinn Fabray? Your new tenant?"

"_Oh Quinn! You're here! I'll be right out."_

Quinn had called about 25 different landlords before making the big move and none of them felt nearly as comfortable as Nicholas. His Greek accent was light and his excitement was through the roof. He had told her that his building was for students of the surrounding universities only. It was like a dorm in the way that she would be sharing a one bedroom apartment with another girl but she still had the freedom of her own place. Something about the whole idea of living with other students made it feel a little safer. Especially because she was here completely alone.

_Alone._ The blonde subtly shook her head and mentally chastised herself for reverberating back to that thought constantly. Today was the first day of her new self. Corny, but still true.

Nicholas burst through the front door and swept up a few of her bags for her. "Quinn. It's wonderful to finally meet you. Follow me. I'll show you to your door."

Quinn grabbed the rest of her things and followed Nicholas through the building. She didn't have much time to look around and take in the building but she figured she would have plenty later. They climbed a set of stairs and came to a stop outside of room 234. Nicholas set her things down and fumbled with the key before letting them in. "Your roommate should be back in the next 10 minutes or so. She was so thrilled that you were finally here."

"Laura? She seemed really sweet. I can't wait to meet her," Quinn said as she followed Nicholas into the apartment. She put her things down in the living area and took in the space around her. It was much roomier than the pictures let on and she noticed a few boxes scattered about, all meticulously labeled with what was inside. _So Laura's got a little OCD I see._

Nicholas called to her from the bedroom and she went to inspect it. Like the rest of the apartment, it was spacious with plenty of room for both girls to share without a problem. It looked as though her roommate had chosen to decorate her side of the room with various movie and musical posters. It didn't surprise her. Nicholas told her Laura went to Julliard. "There was something I forgot to mention to you," Nicolas said looking a little sheepish.

"What's that?" Quinn asked absentmindedly as she took in more of her roommate's things. She wandered over to her desk and looked down at the contents trying to find clues to help her figure out what the other girl was like. There was something eerily familiar about everything she was surrounded by but Quinn couldn't put her finger on it.

"Well. Laura decided last minute to stay with the housing that Julliard offers. Your new roommate just moved in here two days ago and I haven't even had the opportunity to tell her about you. All she knows is that you would be arriving today," Quinn turned to the man. She wasn't mad, things like this happen. She just had a weird feeling about what the answer to her next question was going to be.

"Oh. Okay. What's her name?"

As if on cue, the front door opened and shut and a voice called out, "Nicholas? Is she here yet?"

Quinn knew that voice. Her brow furrowed as she racked her brain to try to figure out who it belonged to. When she realized, her eyes bulged. _No no no no no no._

The tiny brunette bounded into the bedroom and their eyes met.

"Quinn?"

"Berry."


	2. Can't Hide For Long

**A/N: Hey guys! First of all thanks for the reviews. My first fanfic so hope its working! Hopefully the updates will come a little faster than this but here you go!**

**p.s. I own nothing.**

A solid 30 seconds of silence passed between the two girls. They stood on opposite sides of the room daring the other to make the first move. Rachel had pulled herself up to her full height, shoulders squared, hands on her hips. If Quinn didn't know any better, she would have sworn that Rachel was readying herself for a fight. But Quinn did know better. There was something about the softness in the brunette's eyes that betrayed her stance.

The blonde on the other hand fixed the shorter girl with a piercing stare, arms folded over her chest, hip jutted out to her left as if to say, "Speak and you're dead man-hands."

Nicholas was not a dumb man. The tension in the room seemed to take on a life of its own and he was _scared_.

"W-well," he stammered out, breaking the silence. Neither girl looked to him. "It seems as though you two have some catching up to do. Quinn I'll leave your keys on the kitchen counter." No response. "Okay. Well. So long," he breathed as he practically ran from the room.

Quinn tore her gaze from Rachel's. She couldn't deny the electricity that passed through the them even after two years of no communication. This electricity felt different than high school. It made Quinn uncomfortable. But, oddly enough, not in a bad way. She just knew she had to get out. Without a word to the other girl, Quinn strode past her and grabbed her keys off the kitchen counter. Placing her hand on the door handle, she chanced a look back and saw Rachel standing in the door way who said, with as much gusto she had in her, "You'll explain when you get back." With that, she turned on her heel and shut the door to the bedroom leaving Quinn frozen with her mouth agape.

_So Berry grew some balls. This could be very interesting._ Quinn snorted with laughter and continued her way out the door, desperate for some air.

Quinn Fabray was not your average college student. After the adoption, Quinn worked hard to get her life back. She moved back in with her mom and launched herself into a crazy workout regime over the summer. She shed the baby weight and blackmailed Coach Sylvester back into letting her on the team. Turns out a few quick snapshots of the egomaniac swing dancing with one Will Schuster was enough to get her head cheerleader position back. Sue continued to remind Quinn every day that she was growing up to be just like her.

The head cheerleading position also called for a certain HBIC attitude to flow through her veins once more. As much as she loved the feeling of power and the parting of the halls for her, Quinn never again put someone down. It was cliché but after you felt it from the other side, hurting people just wasn't as much fun. Now let's not get ahead of ourselves here. Quinn Fabray was still a powerhouse (she was damnit!). But she was now more of a Robin Hood. She liked to use her powers for good. You could even go as far as saying that she had a big heart under that cold exterior. Only those close to her knew about it though, mainly the Glee Club.

Glee had saved her life when it was spiraling out of control and Quinn never forgot that. The name calling, slushies, and general evil normally thrown at her teammates was completely forgotten and the team genuinely welcomed having McKinley's royalty on their side. Brittany and Santana welcomed this new Quinn. Brittany adored her and it turned out Santana found more pleasure in hurting people defending the ones she cared about more so than just hurting people. Plus, it turned Brittany on watching the brunette stand up for their friends and Santana never minded when Brittany was turned on.

Puck finished his two years much like Quinn. Still on top but defending instead of hurting. The birth and the immediate loss of his daughter had given him a kind of heart that girls swooned over even more. Unfortunately for him, the one he wanted, didn't. Quinn loved Puck in her own way but the two never continued with the epic romance they way they should have. Finn was there for Puck when the adoption was final giving him a bear hug and never spoke of it again.

Artie, Tina, Mercedes, and Kurt were all given the same treatment. Quinn loved them dearly and they never doubted it. She had formed a bond with Mercedes that was always comfortable but a little volatile. Especially when Quinn got her attitude back. It was actually really funny to watch, especially when Kurt got his diva involved and the two girls would round on him, forgetting their feud with each other.

Rachel was the one black spot on Quinn's new personality. For the life of her, the blonde could not figure out why she would always get so _heated_ when the brunette was around. She just assumed it was because the diva was dating her ex-boyfriend, and her diva-fits, and those _stupid_ sweaters. But Quinn knew deep down that it was something else. There was something about Rachel's flushed cheeks and wild eyes when they were arguing that spurred Quinn on like nothing else. But she kept that part hidden. The part that wanted Quinn to admit to herself why she loved to see Rachel riled and why she reveled in the attention Rachel gave to her when Quinn tormented her. It was twisted. Especially when Santana caught her staring at the diva's legs a little too long and smacked the back of her head. If it disappeared deep down within her then it would go away completely. Right? Totally.

As great as life was in school, Quinn couldn't outrun her past at home. Her mom kicked her dad out but in an effort to fill her own emotional voids, she dated all sorts of men. Quinn hated every single one of them and her mother's selfishness left Quinn out on her own, emotionally at least. She graduated third in their class and went off to Ohio State with a cheerleading scholarship in the hopes of becoming a personal trainer when she finished her four years and the even more solid dream of escaping Lima once and for all.

Freshman year truly saw Quinn in her element. Or so she thought. She was the new star cheerleader and automatically started dating the new star football player, Drew Oxford. She was an excellent student and loved what she was doing. It only took two months for the honeymoon period to fade and that's when she really took in what she surrounded herself with. It all came to a head one lonely, drunken night and an encounter with the most unlikely of people to make Quinn realize, painfully, who she really was. She applied to NYU the next day and here she was a few months later.

Quinn shoved her hands in her pockets and picked up her stride purposefully when she thought back to that night. Her emotions were already in a weird place by the time she arrived in the city but after discovering the fun little surprise of Rachel being her new roommate, Quinn was sure her head was physically spinning. Exorcist style.

Wanting to avoid the conversation with Rachel for a little while longer, Quinn turned in the direction of her new school. She loved that the apartment was so close. She wandered through campus for a little while taking it all in. She couldn't thoroughly enjoy it though. The iciness in Rachel's voice ran through her head like a broken record. Quinn sighed and made her way back to her building, preparing herself for the conversation that was to come.


	3. Embrace It

**A/N: Sorry. I am a terrible updater mostly because I had no idea where to go with this and partly because I like to read all of your stuff more than write mine. But! Here it is..chapter 3**

**I promise they'll be coming quicker this time. Like for real.**

**Oh and I own nothing..yada yada**

Once again Quinn stood outside of the apartment building steeling herself for what awaited her inside. _God I hope I don't make a habit out of this._ She climbed the stairs reluctantly going over what she was going to tell Rachel. She figured she could get a pretty good sense of the comfort level when she came face to face with the girl but with all honesty, this was _Rachel Berry_. No one could actually be prepared for any type of encounter with her. Quinn let herself back into the apartment and dropped her keys on the counter as she walked through the kitchen into the living room. Rachel was perched on the end of the couch completely immersed in whatever she was reading. Quinn took a second to observe her new roommate.

Rachel's brow was furrowed in the most endearing way. Her lips sported a small frown and her eyes, ever wild, darted back and forth across the page with a quickness that seemed so fitting. Her flair for the dramatic poured out of her expression even in silence. Quinn bit back a laugh when Rachel audibly gasped at something she just read. The blonde cleared her throat, signaling her presence, and Rachel's eyes jumped from the page to meet Quinn's across the room.

"I didn't hear you come in," she said, slowly closing her book and setting it down on the coffee table.

"Obviously. Does your head hurt?" Quinn asked moving to sit on the opposite end of the couch.

Rachel looked at the girl for a second before saying, "And why exactly would my head hurt?"

"You just concentrate so hard. It looked like you were trying to etch the words into your brain," Quinn said with a smirk.

"Well Quinn, I truly believe that when you find something that you are passionate about, one hundred percent concentration is most of the time, unavoidable. I, for one, happen to be extremely passionate about Mr. Nicholas Sparks and his lovely, albeit slightly predictable, love stories. I mean his characters are just too adorable and the way he seems to know everything a girl wants to hear..," Rachel's eyes looked past Quinn and into the distance while a small smile played out on her lips. "Passion," she stated flicking her eyes back to the blonde, "is ever so important in everything we do."

Quinn wanted to give herself a pat on the back. Really. This was the first time ever that she let Rachel Berry go off on a tangent about something unimportant without snapping at her insulting her in any way. And she even listened! Well, kind of. "Yea, I do love Nicholas Sparks."

Silence stretched between them again and Rachel bristled in her seat. "Just say it Berry."

"Why are you here? I thought you went to Ohio State to cheer?"

"I transferred," Quinn said nonchalantly as she examined her nails.

Rachel hesitated for a moment, expecting Quinn to elaborate. When she didn't, the brunette huffed. _She never could make anything easy._ "Okay. Now that we have stated the obvious, would you care to tell me why?"

"I don't really understand why you care Berry. I know you're about as happy with this situation as I am but there's no need to pretend that you want to know me or that you even like me. I transferred because OSU didn't have what I needed and NYU did. End of story."

Quinn made to move to get off the couch when Rachel said, "That's not true you know." The blonde stood and looked down at her roommate with a question in her eyes, "That I don't like you. That's not true." When Quinn didn't bite her head off, Rachel continued, "I always thought we could be great friends. Mercedes told me repeatedly what a wonderful person you could be and Brittany continuously raved about you. I saw, on more than one occasion, how you came to the defense of anyone in glee club and your efforts were and still are truly appreciated." Rachel faltered a little when she finally met Quinn's eyes and saw them visibly soften. "I-I'm not saying we have to be the best of friends but I just want you to know that I don't hate you." When she finished, the brunette fiddled with the hem of her shirt. Silence always made her uncomfortable. Especially with Quinn Fabray.

Quinn sighed and her body sagged a little. It was so much effort being on the defense all the time. "I don't hate you either Rachel," was all she said. The brunette eyes snapped up to meet hazel and a smile began to spread across her face. Rachel knew that those words meant A LOT coming from the girl across from her. And she called her Rachel. Barrier number one? Broken.

"I'm going to go unpack." With that, Quinn turned and waltzed into the bedroom where she would stay for the next two hours mulling things over while she settled in.

Rachel tried as hard as she could to get back into her book but something about Quinn threw her off. It was if she was almost..nice. Granted they didn't leave high school at each other's throats. Senior year especially saw the girls find some sort of mutual respect for one another, but in no way did that mean that they liked each other. Something had changed Quinn and Rachel's insane curiosity would not let it go, which was always recipe for disaster.

Quinn finished unpacking her things and began working at making her side of the room her own. She left the boxes in the living room and kitchen for later. That's the kind of stuff that good roommates do together and she and Rachel were not good roommates. Yet at least. Quinn sighed and fell back onto her bed staring at the ceiling. _How in the hell did this happen._

"Well Quinn. Even though the possibilities were one in a million, quite literally, it seems as though the universe is telling us we need to reconnect," Rachel said as she made her way into the bedroom. Quinn was baffled. Her brain took a second to kick in and realize that she must have just said her comment out loud but only after her stomach did backflips unnecessarily at the thought of Rachel being a mind-reader. The blonde shook her head at her own weirdness and looked to the brunette who was clearly waiting for a response.

"Yeah. I guess so. Still pretty crazy though, right?" she quickly added to the conversation.

"Yes," Rachel said, sitting on the edge of her bed. "So I had made a few friends in the building before you got here. Other Julliard students. We were going to go out a grab a few drinks tonight if you wanted to come?"

Quinn let the girl's words sink in. Rachel Berry. Made friends. (Sure it was other Julliard divas but still.) And was going out tonight with them? And inviting her? And wait, did she just speak normally without the giant vocabulary? Who is this girl?

Rachel wasn't really sure what to do with Quinn's silence so, naturally, she filled it. "Then again I could fully understand your lack of desire to go out with me or anyone I befriend. Silly of me. And plus you must be exhausted. And with school starting on Monday I completely understand your need to catch up on some sleep so I'll just leave you to your thoughts then." The brunette sighed as she moved to get her bag and Quinn snapped out of whatever trance she was in.

"Sorry," Quinn said. Rachel stopped at the door and looked back at the girl with something akin to hope in her eyes. "Your right about the sleep. I should probably just stay in tonight. Thanks for the invite though." Rachel's eyes narrowed as she studied the other girl. Quinn felt immediately uncomfortable. Sitting up a bit on her bed, she raised her eyebrows and asked, "What?"

Rachel shook her head. "Nothing. I just-" she stopped for a second to collect her thoughts and fought with herself to not rush over and feel the blonde's head to see if she had a fever because there was no way Quinn Fabray would talk to her so nicely without her being on her death bed. "_And even then…" _Rachel thought. "You're just different," was the best she could muster before she turned and made her way through the apartment to meet her classmates in the hallway.

"You are too," Quinn muttered to the empty room. She laid back down on her bed and continued staring at the ceiling. To keep her mind from wandering to things she didn't want to think about, she allowed a pint-sized brunette to pop up in her brain. _Rachel Berry_. Quinn would have never guessed that she would ever see the girl again. She was different. Two years at college and living in New York City seemed to have taken the edge off a little bit. Sure she was definitely the same girl but with slightly less..something. Her words didn't jumble together as much from the constant need to speak too much and too fast. She seemed to have no problem sitting on the couch and passing a few hours with a book which showed she had learned to breathe a little. Her clothes were _so_ much better. She seemed to lack the animal print sweaters and penny loafers but those sinfully short skirts were still present. Quinn quirked a smile as she thought about what anyone would say to her thoughts on how good Rachel Berry's legs looked in the particular skirt she just had on. Yea, Rachel seemed to have realized just how great she could look. And the fact that the brunette seemed to master her eye makeup because her deep brown eyes sparkled with that little something extra tonight added to this new look. Her hair, as always, was perfect and seemed to fall just right around the tiny girl's face. Quinn sighed as she rolled onto her side and stared at the other girl's bed. _How in the world am I supposed to introduce Berry to that side of me. Without perving on her._

Quinn knew that she needed to open up to her roommate eventually. If you had asked her two days ago if she would ever feel comfortable talking freely to Rachel she would have laughed in your face. But now? Being in the girl's presence had done something to the blonde. She felt safe with the brunette. It had only been a few hours but the fact that she was immediately at-ease in their shared space said something about the other girl. Rachel was always great like that. She never expected too much out of people. Out of their voices, yes, but never too much out of an actual person. She was happy with anyone who tried their hardest and acted their sincerest. And considering they were two things that Quinn had vowed to work on before she made the trip to the city, she knew fate had played a part. This time, Quinn was going to embrace what she was dealt. Fighting it was just not worth the effort. Especially when you were fighting with someone as stubborn as Manhands.


	4. Friends?

**A/N: Hey all! So this went on MAJOR hiatus because I have a thing about writing the story while Glee was actually going on. I have the next few chapters set-up and a overall story line so it should be coming out weekly if not more so. Hope you guys like it!**

**p.s. I own nothing.**

The next few weeks passed by with little change. The girls were usually cordial with each other, but not much more than that. It wasn't really like they had time to be anyway. The two worked on opposite schedules for their first semester together. Rachel, as always, was up before the sun and on her elliptical (which Quinn fought to move to the other side of the apartment after nearly killing Rachel their first morning together) and then off to get in an extra hour of vocal practice before classes started at 9. Quinn on the other hand barely made it to her 11 am class in the mornings and battled to keep her eyes open the whole time. This was mostly due to the fact that she landed a pretty great job working with her professor but because of classes, most of the work was done well into the night. Often times she would come in around 10, still with her schoolwork to start on, and the brunette would either be out with her friends or already turned in for the night.

Quinn was obsessed with her new world and was happy with her decision to leave Ohio more and more each day. The blonde found a home in photojournalism which allowed her to combine her two greatest passions and enabled her to put forth an opinion but never attach a face. She hated the attention. Being the center of attention as a cheerleader in high school was one thing. No one ever questioned what she did and it was usually a look, not words, that could get people to obey. When her intellect and talent became the focus, people were open to judge and criticize. Quinn liked to receive their opinions from a distance. But she loved it just the same. Her first journalism professor, Dr. Bennett, was so impressed with her first assignment that he quickly took her under his wing and made her part of his research staff. She was in charge of the photos for the most part, and would be working with two other students to write pieces accompanying the snapshots.

Rachel was obsessed just as much as Quinn was. She learned in her first year at Julliard that she was just a big fish in a little pond in Lima. Now she was in a school full of talent within a city bursting with stars. At first she was a little miffed. She never fooled herself into thinking that she didn't miss the attention but instead of whining and running back home, she thought back to what everyone had told her about not achieving her dream and it just made her push even harder. She reveled in the competition and embraced everything that was thrown her way. Her first year humbled her, but Rachel's sophomore year saw the changes. She grew as a person and really took in all that surrounded her. She was still impulsive and dramatic but being completely on her own in the city made her turn to rely on people even more. Her maturity had a major effect on her character, she became a little quieter, more observant, and definitely more approachable. Nothing spoke of the change more than the three people sitting around her right now. They were down in Marley's room, spending time listen to her rave about Ingrid Michaelson and croon strange lyrics to escape the sometimes monotonous songs they did over and over in school.

"Ugh," Marley sighed, "God what I'd do to that woman." Rachel and her friend Josh giggled, slightly because of the wine and slightly because of Marley's obsession with quirky girls. Their fourth, Adam, simply scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"Marley, love," he began in his high pitched voice, "Can't we contain the gay for like, one night?"

"Adam, _dearest_," Marley drawled, poking fun at their friend, "The gay was let off its leash the minute you walked in my room wearing _that_ around your neck and _that _ on your head." Rachel and Josh burst out laughing. Adam just rolled his eyes again and adjusted his hat to perch even more perfectly on his head and tightened his scarf at little more around his neck.

Rachel walked back down the hall to the apartment she shared with Quinn and sighed as she always did at the boxes still piled in the kitchen and living room. It had been six weeks and the girls still hadn't unpacked. They used the same bowl, cup, plate, and cooking dishes each and washed them every time to use again, never putting anything away in cupboards. It wasn't as if they didn't have kitchenware, far from it actually. They just never sat down and decided what goes where. The old Rachel and Quinn would have glared at the other and put things away as they each damn well pleased but their situation was different. Egg shells were constantly being walked on as they slowly, and silently, got over their past. Both the blonde and brunette had been slightly overwhelmed after their first two years away from Lima and both understood and valued the power of silence. It didn't mean they liked it or that they were avoiding each other, it was just who they were now. They both knew that it would come to a point when they would get to the whole "roommate" thing. Rachel just didn't expect it happen that night.

The brunette had silently made it through the kitchen, into the living room, and then into the bedroom only to see that Quinn wasn't even home yet. She immediately turned on the bedroom light and stripped her jeans off as she walked back into the dark kitchen to get a glass of water. She wasn't really drunk but she knew that wine hangovers were sent to Earth from the devil himself. Better safe than sorry. The brunette leaned into the fridge to grab a bottle of water when she heard the jingling of keys and the door opened followed by a quick _thud_ and a whispered, "fuck." The light was harsh when Quinn flipped it on and Rachel groaned at the sudden change. Quinn whipped around with a flourish and her breath caught in her throat. Rachel was standing holding a bottle of water in a short t-shirt and her _underwear_. Quinn whispered another, "fuck," but this had nothing to do with the throb in her toe from where she stubbed it on a stupid box.

Rachel, however, had no idea the effect she had on the blonde, especially when she rushed over to grab the bag off of Quinn's shoulder, effectively brushing the blonde's arm and sending chills through both of them. Rachel ignored the sensation, Quinn couldn't if she tried. "Are you okay? Do you want me to get some ice? Toes are fragile and they can easily be broken but there's not really much one can do for a broken toe. Do you think it's broken? Here let me get you some ice," Rachel babbled as she ran around dropping Quinn's bag on the table and reaching for a bag to put ice into. The quick puff of cold air from the freezer snapped Quinn out of her haze to mumble, "Rachel wait."

Rachel paused in her flurry of activity to look back at her roommate. "My toe is fine. No need for any ice tonight, nurse," Quinn said with a smirk, "but I appreciate the gesture." The brunette closed the freezer with a nod and moved to put the bag back in the box. Her bare legs being admired all the while by a pair of hungry hazel eyes across the room. "Why don't you have pants on?"

Rachel chuckled as she looked down having forgotten that she was indeed in just her baby blue and yellow stripped boy-shorts. She looked up and met Quinn's eyes and saw a different kind of spark in them that she had yet to encounter. It made her blush a bit as the laugh died in her throat. Suddenly she felt extremely exposed. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable," the diva babbled out while twisting the hem of her shirt. This movement caught Quinn's eye because every time she twisted just a little _that_ way more skin was revealed to the blonde and she was having trouble focusing on what Rachel was saying. Forcing herself to look away, Quinn sought out Rachel's slightly frantic eyes again and tuned back in. "-feel restricted so I don't really like them. That's why I usually wear skirts but Marley told me that I looked good in jeans so I've tried to wear them more often. But anyway, I had just come out here for some water before completely changing. Sorry about that." When the blonde realized that Rachel had stopped talking, she quirked her lips into a shy smile. Contrary to popular belief, the rambling never really bothered Quinn. She always found it rather endearing and she was glad that Rachel hadn't changed all that much in the two years they were apart.

"Don't be sorry. It doesn't make me feel uncomfortable. It's your home too."

"Yes but if you don't want me to-"

"Rachel. Its fine. Really. Moving this conversation away from your legs- I mean pants! Away from your pants," Quinn all but shouted at her roommate. Making a quick recovery and pushing past her slight slip she said, "We need to get this place sorted. My toes are not happy with the abuse that I give them on a daily basis."

Rachel grinned. "I completely agree. If I have to wash that damn bowl one more time I will lose my mind."

"Ugh thank God. I thought it was just me," the blonde replied, smiling at the brunette. Both girls' eyes locked in a quiet stare. It was amazing how content they were in the other's company. There was a slight awkwardness in the beginning but it was almost as if neither of them wanted to dwell on that. They pushed past it and focused on the base of their relationship. They were two girls from the same place, who knew each other's past, and were mature enough to accept that this was their fate and they might as well make the best of it. The stare was interrupted by Rachel who, though she valued silence more, still did her part to avoid it as much as she could. She was Rachel Berry after all.

"Let's do this more."

"This being…?"

"Communication. If we are to live together with any type of ease we need to be able to talk to each other. For example, I need to be able to tell you to move your shoes away from the door when you kick them off so I don't trip on them _every_ morning," the diva said with an eye-roll.

"Okay. I got it. So I should be able to tell you to get a new morning shower song because if I have to hear you belt 'Defying Gravity' one more time I'll come in there with a bucket of ice?" Quinn replied with her signature smirk as she moved to lean against the counter.

Rachel set her jaw and glared at Quinn before saying, "I'll have you know that 'Defying Gravity' is an extremely inspiring song and enables me to start my day off with a thirst for life!" The tiny girl punctuated her argument with well-placed hand motions that made Quinn smile at the familiarity. "Besides," she added, hopping up on the counter across from Quinn, "it's so much more uplifting than your choice of 'I Have Loved You Wrong."

"Hey. I love that song."

"Oh me too but really, 'For I have hurt beyond repair, And when tears occurred no I didn't care.' Hardly a happy way to start the day." Rachel didn't add that the blonde's song choice always struck a nerve with her. It seemed like the type of words Quinn would use to sing to her if she were to ever confess her love for the brunette. Not that Rachel thought about that ever. Well maybe once. A long time ago.

What she didn't know was the song was not chosen at random and the blonde's meaning was pretty close to what Rachel was thinking. Maybe not the confession of love but just the mistreatment of the diva that Quinn regretted every day. For some reason that song popped in her head whenever she thought about the other girl and the fact that she woke up staring at Rachel's things every morning made it so the brunette was never far from her thoughts. Quinn let out a huff of annoyance at Rachel's chirpy morning self and scoffed, "Whatever. You snore."

Rachel gasped audibly at the accusation and shot the blonde a menacing glare for even thinking that. "I do no such thing!"

Quinn laughed at the tiny girl and just said, "Yep. You do. Totally recording it next time too."

"Fine. And the evidence, or should I say _lack_ of evidence, will absolutely point in my favor. Besides, you talk in your sleep. Who's Charlie, Quinn?"

The blonde eyebrows shot up almost comically. How do you explain to your roommate that you sometimes dream your alter ego is a real person and you have conversation with him in those dreams, without sounding completely nuts? "Charlie is um, he's uh, my old dog. Yeah and he was always a uh- a great, a great listener. Yeah great listener. Maybe I dream about him sometimes. So what? Your Tony Award acceptance speech needs to shave like 45 seconds off of it by the way. The music is totally going to kick you off when you win."

"You heard me practice my acceptance speech?" Rachel questioned with the most adorable tilt of her head.

"Yeah like four times now. I think I could practically recite the whole thing for you at this point. You're not as quiet in that bathroom as you think," Quinn said as she reached over and grabbed an apple out of the bowl and bit down. Rachel watched, mesmerized as some of the juice from the apple slipped down the corner of her roommate's mouth and couldn't look away when a pink tongue leisurely swooped out to catch it. This was something new to the brunette. She knew that she never had her feet firmly planted in either side of the batter's box but she never really thought of making anything more out of her attraction to women. There was one, but that was a drunken one night experiment. _Okay,_ maybe a few drunken nights. And maybe there was more than one girl. That's what you do in college though isn't it? But this thing with Quinn was different. Rachel watched her comings and goings and almost _studied_ her new roommate. She caught herself looking at Quinn's sleeping form a bit too long in the mornings, felt her heart flutter every now and again when the blonde would come sweeping into their shared bedroom at night, and stared - like she was doing now - at things that should not be making her stomach do flip flops.

Shaking her head slightly and trying to ignore the fact that the blonde was completely turning her on, Rachel focused on something else Quinn had said. "Wait. Did you say _when_ I win?" Quinn squinted her eyes as she reviewed their conversation in her head. Realizing she did she nodded at the brunette and continued to munch happily on her apple. "You really think I can win?" Rachel asked with the most hopeful expression on her face. If _Quinn Fabray_ thought she could win a Tony then she fully believed she could. Not that there was much doubt before of course.

"Yea. I always knew you'd win one someday," Quinn said nonchalantly with a shrug. Rachel's beam lit up the room. She continued to watch the blonde take another bite of her snack before the smile dropped a bit and she said, "But what about all that crap in high school. I mean, I know that we were friendly senior year but all those things you said before about me never making it. Why is it different now?"

Quinn looked at the brunette with an intense gaze before saying, "High School, Berry. It was high school. I know it was only a two years ago but, a lot changed for me in those two years." Quinn sighed and looked away, not sure if she was ready to have this conversation. Rachel was silent as she let the blonde gather her thoughts. "Look, I know that there's a lot we need to talk about before this can really work out. But can we save it for another night?"

Rachel nodded. "Of course. We both have early starts tomorrow anyway."

Quinn smiled slightly in thanks. She munched a little more on her apple while Rachel turned to look out the window at something that caught her eye and sipped from her water slowly. The blonde turned to toss out her apple core and said, "Alright Rach, I'm going to bed. When are you free so we can get some of this sorted?" nodding toward the boxes.

Rachel turned back toward Quinn with a goofy smile on her face as a result of thinking about the blonde's earlier words of confidence. And the fact that Quinn seemed so comfortable calling her "Rach." It was the little things. "Today's Tuesday right?" Quinn nodded. "Okay so I'm free Thursday after 6. Maybe we can grab some take-out and get it done then?"

"Sure, I don't have to work Thursday so I'll be home then." Before turning and walking away Quinn observed her roommate and asked, "Why are smiling like that?"

"Because, your belief in my inevitable Tony win is the nicest thing you have ever said to me," Rachel replied with a toothy grin. "And I like you calling me 'Rach.'"

Quinn couldn't hide her faint blush and attempted to contain her shy smile, "Yea well don't get used to it, munchkin."

Rachel just laughed and asked, "Which part?" to Quinn's retreating form.

"Stay tuned to figure that one out."

Rachel shot out of bed when _Don't Rain On My Parade_ blared from her phone the next night. Taking a deep breath and rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she flipped on her bedside lamp and grabbed it. Seeing _Quinn _flash on the screen, her eyes instantly flickered over to the blonde's empty bed. Rachel flipped her phone open and croakily questioned, "Hello?"

"Hey. Sorry for waking you but, I think I kinda sorta need your help," was Quinn's reply. Rachel was still half asleep but she noticed the hint of panic in the other girl's voice. She immediately got out of bed and began rummaging through drawers for clothes to wear.

"Where are you? Are you okay? What do you need me to bring?" Rachel questioned while she fought to tug on her jeans and keep the phone between her ear and shoulder.

"I'm fine. I'm just in that coffee shop you like by the library and there's this guy that keeps staring at me. I got up to leave and he got up to so I just faked like I was going to the bathroom. I didn't bring any money for a cab so I can't -"

"Quinn, don't go anywhere. I'll be there in ten minutes." Rachel hung up the phone and grabbed her keys off her desk and took off out of the room. Remembering it was getting colder, she grabbed Quinn's NYU hoodie off the back of the couch and pulled it on. Brunette locks flew off her shoulders as she jogged through the city to meet Quinn. When she got to the coffee shop she saw the blonde sitting at the table as close to the counter as she could and leaning over her notebook. Even from the front of the shop Rachel could see that Quinn wasn't reading anything in front of her. The diva walked slowly over to her roommate in the hopes that it didn't look like she had just run to help her get away from the creepy man that was still staring. Rachel leaned over and touched Quinn's shoulder and said, "There you are." The blonde jumped a foot out of her seat and spun back to meet Rachel's wide eyes. "I thought you said you were going to be back before midnight. I was worried."

Quinn caught onto Rachel's plan immediately. Avoid alerting the man of the reason she was there. "Uh yea. Sorry Rach. I guess I lost track of time."

"Not a problem. Ready to call it a night?"

"Absolutely," Quinn muttered as she gathered her things and held onto Rachel's arm as they left the coffee shop. She quickly shot a look over her shoulder to make sure that the man wasn't following them out and heaved a sigh of relief when he stayed put. The pair walked a block in silence before Quinn took a moment to glance down at her tiny roommate who had a look of sheer concentration on her face. "Hey. Are you okay?" ventured the blonde. Rachel looked back over her shoulder for what had to have been the fourth time since they left the shop and just nodded her head, her brow still furrowed, completely focused on the task. "He's not following. He stayed back at his table." Rachel did nothing but squeeze the blonde's arm closer to her and continued walking at a brisk pace back to the apartment. Quinn smiled to herself. _A protective Rachel? And she's here looking all rumpled and in _my_ sweatshirt? Quite possibly the cutest thing ever. _Instead of spoiling the moment with her words she held onto Rachel tightly and walked the rest of the way back to their place with her, perfectly content and happy that last night's conversation opened them up to be more comfortable around each other. Quinn couldn't help herself from thinking about her slightly-crazy-yet-adorably-wonderful roommate the whole next day, excited to get home for the first time in a long time.


	5. Defying Gravity

**A/N: Next chapter! Thanks to everyone for the alerts and the favorite story ads. Hopefully you guys like where this is going. Just wanted to say that my Sam in this is officially AU because he was with them Senior Year. But he's just mentioned in flashbacks for now. Enjoy!**

**P.S. I own nothing. Sadly.**

Quinn was woken Thursday morning by a high-pitched squeal followed by a crash coming from the bathroom. Taking a second to get her bearings, she realized that the strangled "Oooow," following said crash, had come from her roommate's mouth.

"Rach?" Quinn called, making her way over to the bathroom door. She still heard the shower on and the brunette moaned a little bit to acknowledge the blonde. "You okay?" Quinn asked, pressing her ear up against the door.

"Um. I'm not sure," was Rachel's reply.

Quinn didn't hesitate, "I'm coming in." The blonde opened the door cautiously and her mouth dropped open at what she saw. Rachel was laying tangled up in the shower curtain next to the tub and was holding the side of her head. "What are you doing woman?" Quinn asked with a laugh as she moved further into the room.

Rachel opened her eyes to glare at the blonde and said, "What does it look like I'm doing, _woman_." Quinn laughed again and shook her head slightly as she reached over and turned the shower water off.

"You know what I mean. How did this happen?" Rachel blushed as she looked up at the ceiling obviously trying to come up with a good lie.

"I was…um..I -"

"You got too into 'Defying Gravity' and slipped on the soap again didn't you?" Quinn asked, cutting off what was sure to be the lamest excuse ever. Rachel sighed, knowing she was caught.

"..maybe." The brunette sat up a bit and leaned on her elbows causing the curtain to slide down her chest a bit. It wasn't until this movement that Quinn realized what she actually walked in on. Naked Rachel. The diva's tiny body was barely covered by the curtain. Her long tanned, _wet_ legs were almost completely exposed to the blonde and they were unbelievable. Water droplets were falling slowly from her neck, over the collarbone, and down into the valley of her breasts before disappearing behind the plaid material and Quinn licked her lips unconsciously. "Quinn?" Rachel asked, looking up at her roommate.

Quinn's eyes snapped to Rachel's with a, "Hmm?"

"Could you possibly help me up? I hit my head and I think I'll get a little woozy trying to stand up on my own."

"Of course," Quinn replied. She reached over to the towels and tossed one to Rachel. "Cover yourself up first Berry. Don't want to go and give everyone a free show," she added with a smirk. Rachel rolled her eyes as she quirked a smile and wrapped the towel around her front and pushed the shower curtain off to the side. Quinn moved over to the brunette and reached down to grab her hand and pull her to her feet. Rachel let the blonde handle most of her weight as her other hand gripped the towel the her chest. Once on her feet, she let go of Quinn's hand and wrapped the towel around her snugly. She mumbled a quick, "Uh oh," before she swayed slightly and Quinn quickly reached out to steady her, pulling the small brunette into her body. The blonde moved Rachel to sit down on the toilet and kneeled in front of her, never letting her hands leave the tiny girl. "You okay?"

Rachel's breath hitched as she realized how close she was to her roommate. She felt Quinn's hands resting heavily on her thighs and could practically feel the worry pouring off the other girl. Rachel smiled a little and sighed, "Yea, I'm fine. Standing up too fast after a fall makes you feel kinda woozy. I just need a minute." Quinn grinned at the adorable girl in front of her, her mind reeling back to a very similar situation two years before.

**March - Senior Year**

_All of New Directions were gathered in the Berry family's living room the Friday before Regionals. The competition was on Sunday and Rachel insisted that the group should have a bonding night complete with a sleepover in order to truly get into the team spirit. She didn't go so far as to suggest they have the party the night before though. She may not have been an active participant in many sleepovers in her time but she knew that very little actual sleep occurred at these things and they needed to be in top shape for the competition. The party was winding down around 2 am and Quinn surveyed the scene around her. Kurt and Blaine were snuggled on the couch fast asleep. Blaine had transferred to McKinley the summer before their senior year because of New Directions' real shot at Nationals. Something like that would look amazing on a college application. Kurt had transferred back when the bullying from Karofsky was finally put to rest. Considering the jock came out at the beginning of their senior year, being gay at McKinley wasn't so much a curse anymore. Plus, he missed his friends desperately. _

_Quinn's hazel eyes continued around the room. She watched as Puck and Mike silently laughed as they tortured a sleeping Finn. Brittany and Santana were unsurprisingly absent. Santana finally came around the past summer and drunkenly confessed that she loved and missed Brittany too much to contain herself anymore. Luckily it was just the Glee girls that witnessed it. Poor Artie's heart barely withstood the heartbreak the next day. Quinn smiled a bit to herself watching Tina currently picking up the pieces as she snuggled into his lap on the other couch. Her and Mike were adorable together but in the end, she and Artie had a connection. They were always going to end up together. Mercedes and Rachel were sitting closely in the corner watching a Youtube video of Aural Intensity's performance at the other school's Sectional competition. The entire club had seen it too many times to count but Rachel's competitive nature was infectious, and Mercedes found out that she liked being on the same side as the diva rather than battling against her. The two had been close since their single-diva bonding days. Mercedes protected Rachel and Rachel proved to be the best friend a person could possibly be. Quinn was pondering over her own friendship with the brunette when Sam ambled out of the hallway bathroom and caught her eye at the door. He threw her a quick half-smile and sat down next to her against the wall._

"_Hey." Quinn turned her gaze to her ex-boyfriend._

"_Hey," she replied before turning her attention back to the two girls in the corner. The two blondes had parted amicably after their second try at a relationship at the start of their Senior Year. Quinn eventually realized that she didn't actually care to be with Sam. She just valued the security. Unfortunately, it was Sam himself that had to bring Quinn to that understanding. Since then, the two had been very close friends. Quinn found she could trust Sam and even though he might not have been the smartest, he was surprisingly observant and could read people extremely well. He knew Quinn was hiding herself from the world and he had also suspected that she was trying to bury a pretty big secret. It hadn't been the first time he caught her staring at their resident diva with a little too much interest. He recognized the look in her eye when Quinn stared at Rachel across the room. It was the same one he had for the cheerleader. At that moment, Sam decided to take it upon himself to help out his clueless friend._

"_They're still watching that video?" he asked as he slid down the wall to sit next to Quinn._

"_Yeah. And Rachel's still intense as ever," she said with a small smile on her face. _

"_So, you and Rachel…" Sam began with a knowing tone. _

_Quinn's eyes snapped to his immediately with a panicked look on her face. "What do you mean, me and Rachel. There's no 'me and Rachel,'" Quinn said._

_Sam smirked. _Oh but she so wants there to be._ "I just meant that you two seem to be better friends lately. I mean you stuck up for her in glee the other day and I haven't heard you call her any of those nicknames lately."_

_Quinn visibly relaxed and turned her gaze back to the brunette. "Well she doesn't deserve to have Mr. Shue attack her again for voicing her opinion. Its complete crap," Quinn said._

_Excited that the girl was opening up to him, Sam pushed a bit. "Well I get what Mr. Shue was saying. I mean, she can't have every solo."_

_Quinn's eyes moved back to the boy, getting more riled up just thinking about it. "Everyone in that room has their own vendetta and wants the solo yet he never reprimands anyone else. I mean he flat out called her selfish. We all know she can be but there's no need to say it to her. Especially when she didn't deserve it." She finished her little outburst with a snap of her jaw, realizing just how heated she was getting about Rachel Berry. Her voice softened when she thought about what Rachel had told her right after the meeting, "If Mr. Shue would have just let her speak he would have found out that she didn't want the solo for herself but actually thought it would suit Mercedes' voice better than Santana's. Which, as usual she was completely right. But no, everyone thinks she's just always all about herself." Quinn looked at Sam who had a lazy smirk on his face, like he _knew _something. "What?"_

"_Oh nothing. And the nicknames?" he pushed._

"_They were childish and stupid. There's really no reason to keep up with them. We can all clearly see that she is anything but a tranny. I mean, look at the girl, she's gorgeous," Quinn whispered with a wistful look in her eye. She didn't even realize what she just voiced to Sam but that was all the confirmation he needed. _

_Knowing that he did enough for the night, Sam sighed and got up but not before adding, "You're right. She doesn't and she's actually a pretty great friend if you'd let her be you know. Think about it," he said as he walked over to help the boys continue their torture of Finn._

_Quinn stewed on that thought for a while as she continued to take in the scene in front her. Her eyes rarely strayed from the two in the corner. Quinn made up her mind when Rachel's chocolate eyes flicked up from the computer and locked with her own hazel. The brunette shot her a small smile which Quinn returned without even thinking. Right then and there, a friendship was born._

_The next morning, Quinn woke up in the living room and was surrounded by random glee kids strewn about the floor and couches. She did a quick scan of the room and noticed that Rachel was not one of them. Figuring she was up in her room and most likely awake, Quinn got up and made her way up the steps. Rachel's door was slightly ajar so the blonde knocked lightly and called for her. Getting no response, Quinn pushed the door open and peeked in the room. Rachel's bed was already made and there was no sign of the tiny girl. Quinn frowned a bit before noticing that the bathroom door was slightly open. She could hear the water running and Rachel's voice softly singing Defying Gravity. Thinking that her request for a friendship could wait, Quinn turned to go back downstairs. It was then that she heard a loud crash followed by a groan of pain. The blonde hurried over to the door and called, "Rachel? Are you okay?"_

_There was a moment's hesitation before the brunette responded, "Quinn?"_

"_Yeah it's me, is everything okay?"_

"_Um. Well not really. I kind of fell and it really hurts."_

"_Okay I'm coming in."_

"_Wait! Quinn I'm - " whatever Rachel was going to say was cut off by the blonde who pushed the door completely open and froze. Rachel was lying on the floor of the bathroom, wrapped in the shower curtain, and holding her hip. Quinn's reaction was not at all what she expected. Seeing a naked (well, almost naked) Rachel, dripping wet and with the most adorable pout on her face made Quinn's heart race and her stomach erupt with butterflies. She couldn't form any words and she just stared at the girl on the bathroom floor. After a couple of seconds of silence Rachel asked, "Quinn, could you perhaps turn off the water? I'm still getting wet." Shaking off the shiver that ran through her at Rachel's words, Quinn snapped to and moved to turn the shower off._

Pull yourself together Fabray. What the hell was that anyway? _The blonde shook her head and turned back to Rachel with a smirk, "What happened here, half-pint."_

_Rachel's face blazed red and she turned away from the blonde to mumble an excuse. "Sorry? What was that?" Quinn pushed with a grin._

"_I may have been singing a little too animatedly and..slipped..on some soap," she muttered, her face getting even redder._

_Quinn just let out a laugh and said," So not even your poor shower curtain is safe from your dramatics huh Berry?"_

_Rachel turned to yell at the blonde for calling her dramatic but stopped when she saw the blonde smiling at her. Quinn was clearly teasing her and it helped relieve her embarrassment. "No one's safe Quinn. You should know this by now."_

_Quinn laughed before reaching out a hand to help the brunette off the ground. As she stood, Rachel grabbed a towel from the rack and swiftly switched the curtain with the towel with minimal skin exposure. _Thank God, _Quinn thought. She wasn't sure how much more she could handle. "I'm just going to go back downstairs and let you finish up. Try not to hurt yourself anymore."_

_Rachel blushed a bit again and grabbed Quinn's arm as the blonde turned. "Wait Quinn, was there something you needed? I mean you were in my room after all."_

_Quinn fought the shiver that raced over her skin from the brunette's touch, "Yeah I was just going to talk to you about something but it can wait." Rachel smiled at her nodded. Quinn turned away and made her way back downstairs thinking about whatever she was feeling with the brunette. It wasn't the first time she had that reaction to the girl but it had never been so __**intense**__. Then again, she had never seen her practically naked before. Quinn was not a dumb girl. She knew the physical reaction she had to Rachel's touch meant something. As did the fierce protectiveness she was feeling for the diva lately. And Rachel's voice. _God._ She practically stopped breathing every time Rachel opened her mouth to sing. Quinn also knew that she never had that reaction to any guy she had been with in the past. She wasn't a dumb girl, just not a secure enough one to fully grasp what all these things meant. It was easier to just shake it off. After that night, instead of moving to truly befriend the diva, Quinn opted to keep her distance. She made sure to keep the brunette protected, albeit silently. And Rachel never received ill treatment from anyone in school anymore. It was more of a truce than a friendship but that was all Quinn was willing to risk at the moment. There were only a few more months until graduation and then she would be taking off for Ohio State and Rachel would be a safe distance away in New York. _Only a few months and I'll never have to face this again_, she thought to herself._

**Present Day**

Quinn stood when the brunette closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When Rachel opened her eyes, the blonde was putting the shower rod back in place and fixing the curtain. "Thanks Quinn."

"No problem Rach. From now on though, take it easy. I'm not sure the curtain will be able to stand any more diva moments."

"Glad to see you're more worried about the curtain's well-being than mine," Rachel said with a smile. Quinn turned to face her roommate and returned the grin. "If you would just switch to body wash I wouldn't have to fight the soap anymore."

"Oh don't make this my fault Berry," Quinn teased. "What happened to switching up that morning shower song anyway?"

"Are your shoes still kicked off right next to the bedroom door?" Rachel asked.

Quinn peeked out into their room and saw that her shoes were in fact right by the door. "Point taken. Shoes find a new place. Midget finds a new song. Done."

"Hey!" Rachel shouted with a laugh as she threw an extra towel at the blonde. Quinn just laughed as she caught it. "So much for no more nicknames."

"I promised no such thing. So can I leave you now to get ready or do you need me to hold your blow dryer so you don't destroy that too," Quinn said with a smirk.

"Get out of here Fabray," Rachel said to Quinn's retreating form. "And pick up your shoes!" she added as she shut the door.

Quinn couldn't get the smile off of her face as she moved to do exactly as the diva asked before collapsing back into bed. She knew her thing for Rachel senior year wasn't just a phase. She just didn't expect it to return with such ferocity so soon. This time though, Quinn wasn't worried, just slightly excited about getting to know the girl better.

On the other side of the door, Rachel stared at herself in the mirror and took a few deep breaths. The scene had her feeling extreme déjà vu, except for this time, Quinn seemed like she was really there, not so on edge as she usually was. Rachel always prided herself on being able to see through the blonde's walls. She had called almost every move the girl was going to make throughout their high school career but this time, she couldn't get a read. There was something different with the Quinn and she could not put her finger on it. Whatever it was, she liked it, and hoped to get some answers later when they finished the apartment.


End file.
